1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receiver connected to a plurality of antennas, and particularly to a technique making it possible to reduce power consumption.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A receiver is hitherto known which is provided with a diversity mechanism for selecting and processing a signal having the highest receiving level among signals received by a plurality of antennas. Some comparatively small receivers, such as remote control units for an on-vehicle communication system (for example, radio key apparatuses), use a diversity mechanism in order to obtain a signal having a higher receiving level. For example, this type of conventional receiver is disclosed in Patent Document 1 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-78063.
However, in the case of a conventional diversity mechanism for selecting a signal having the highest receiving level, a circuit configuration becomes complex and this is one of the factors for further decreasing a receiver in size and weight. Moreover, further reducing power consumption has been a demand for this type of receiver. When it is possible to reduce power consumption, there are advantages for a receiver using batteries in that a cycle for replacing batteries is lengthened or the receiver can be decreased in size and weight by an extent proportional to the decrease in battery capacity.